page_title: Hammacher Schlemmer
section_title: Catalogs
hierarchical_section_title: Hammacher Schlemmer / Catalogs
caption_attribution_description: English: Hammacher Schlemmer Gnome Campaign lasted for many years
context_page_description: Hammacher Schlemmer is an American retailer and catalog company based in Niles, Illinois.
context_section_description: In 1881, Hammacher Schlemmer produced their first illustrated catalogue and price list which showcased products with the same care received as in the mahogany cases of the New York store. Intricate pen and ink drawings became the hallmark of Hammacher Schlemmer's hardware catalogs.
  Hammacher Schlemmer published a 400-page catalog featuring tools for all trades in 1896. In keeping with its reputation for high quality and wide selection, the opening page stated, "Our tools are selected with great care and are of the best makes, and meritorious novelties will be, from time to time, added to our present line, our aim being to carry a complete stock of first-class tools."
  The U.S. Navy began using the company's catalog as an equipment manual in 1904, and it was used until 1971.
  In 1912, Hammacher Schlemmer printed its largest catalog to-date. Spanning 1,112 pages and taking a total of four years to compile, the catalog confirmed Hammacher as the most complete hardware source on the East Coast. One hardbound edition remains housed in the Smithsonian's permanent collection.
  Hammacher Schlemmer published a 32-page brochure in 1923 to commemorate its 75th anniversary. Documenting the company's growth, as well as the corresponding expansion of New York City and the United States, the text closed with this inspiring quote by American author (and son of patriot Nathan Hale) Edward Everett Hale: "Look up-not down, Look out-not in, And lend a hand."
  Hammacher Schlemmer began its "gnome" campaign in 1920 - an ad campaign that featured diligent little cartoon characters in the pages of its catalogs.
  In 1931, Hammacher Schlemmer debuted its housewares supplement, the first catalog of its kind in the country, with a brightly colored, yet simply titled cover. These catalogs signaled a new era in their history as the old image of hardware and tools began to fade.
  Hammacher Schlemmer's 125th anniversary edition in 1973 featured an assortment of unique kitchen and entertaining products from a "provision cabinet" with clear plastic containers to a gourmet serving cart with an integrated wine rack. Their signature gnomes within the catalog pages were replaced with tin man figurines. In a full-page letter on the opening spread, they reaffirmed their commitment to customer service, pledging to continue "loyal, dedicated, trained: bent upon serving you. Now as in 1848, things are on the move. We are in busy-ness now as we were 125 years ago, under our policy: COMPLETE SATISTACTION GUARANTEED."
  In 1977, Hammacher Schlemmer printed its first full-color product catalog with their cover flanked by their ever-present gnomes.
  Their 1983 Fall Catalog is the first to include ratings from the newly established Hammacher Schlemmer Institute. Using an "enstar" rating system (a blue seven-point star) products were awarded one, two, or three enstars depending on The Institute's evaluation. One Enstar designated a "Unique" product which not only effectively performed the task for which it was designed but does so in a markedly unique manner; two Enstars meant "Best of Kind", a product identified as the best performing in some specialized class within its overall category;three Enstars distinguished a product as "Best Overall" without qualification.
  In 1998, the cover of Hammacher Schlemmer's 150th-anniversary catalog was graced by The Bertazzon Venetian Carousel, a full-sized fully functional carousel that sat twenty. Evoking the charm of 18th-century Venice, this carousel offered an Old World design complete with hand-rendered scenes of Venetian landmarks. Its six jumping horses, five rocking horses, and two chariots were all hand painted and the revolving platform is varnished, solid hardwood. Because each carousel was hand-built to order, it required five months for construction.
  In a departure from their traditional cover presentation, the 2003 Holiday Preview catalog featured a cartoon that playfully acknowledged their reputation for offering unusual, and-on occasion-outlandish items.
  In 2014, Hammacher Schlemmer introduced the first Augmented Reality Cata
caption: Hammacher Schlemmer launched their "gnome" campaign in 1920.
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